One Goal Reached - Now What?

In my very first blog post, "What is The Glutton Free Diet?", I stated that my goal was to lose weight until I made it down to 185 or 190 lbs. Well, I weighed in at 189 lbs. yesterday morning, so where do I go from here? My wife tells me that I can stop losing weight anytime now, but now that I'm rolling with this fitness plan, I don't want to stop.

First and foremost in my mind is how difficult it is to maintain healthy eating habits and an outdoor exercise routine when the weather outside is frightful. My track record over past winters is poor at best, with last winter being the best I've done in recent history -- I came out in the spring at about the same weight I started at in the fall. So that means I can't really relax yet.

The way I see it, I have about seven weeks until the days really start to shorten up, so I need to make hay while the sun shines. I also need to maintain a healthy diet to continue combating high blood sugar and high cholesterol, so the only thing I could do on the food front is bump up my caloric intake a little -- but without allowing things like French fries and big bowls of ice cream to creep back into my diet.

So in essence, nothing changes... yet. I can relax a little when it comes to how many calories I take in, but the basics remain the same:

1. Excercise. Walk, run, ride bike, etc. Just get off the couch a couple times per week.
2. Lower your sugar intake. No soda pop.
3. Cut the simple carbs. Complex carbs are okay in moderation.
4. Drink more water.
5. Make smart food choices. Get a side salad instead of fries.
6. Pay attention to your calorie intake. If you take in extra calories at lunch, eat less for dinner.
7. Don't over-eat. Dish up small portions. Stop when you are full. 

If I weigh in at 185 lbs. when I go back to the doctor in April, I will be quite pleased.